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Itazura's Bard Puller Guide/Target Notes
__TOC__ Some monsters are aggressive, some can link, and some are both. Some creatures are only aggressive under certain conditions (daytime/nighttime, etc.), while some can run faster than players. It is important for a puller to understand the behaviors of the the exp targets as well as other monsters in the surrounding area in order to avoid unnecessary links, adds, and deaths. This article summarizes some of the most commonly encountered monster families by exp parties, but it's not a bad idea to look up the camp area in FFXIclopedia and Campsitarus as well before heading out of town. Beetle Some Beetles are not aggressive (e.g. Nest Beetle in Crawler's Nest), while some are aggressive (e.g. Borer Beetle in Garlaige Citadel). Always take care to find out which type is at the camp. Probably all Beetles in partying levels link (by sight), though, so be sure to have a clear path back to the camp. It is often possible to pull one Beetle without linking the one next to it depending on the angle of pull and directions they are looking. Colibri, Non-Parroting The lower level Lesser Colibri and Colibri from East Ronfaure (S) do not parrot spells. This makes them easier for the party--can enfeeb and nuke without hesitation--but dangerous for a Bard puller. All Colibris have higher movement speed than players, so these two variety will likely catch up to the Bard puller the vast majority of time. Bring damage mitigation measures to lessen the danger, either from support job or in the form of defense food. Long pull on these is a very bad idea. Colibri, Parroting The higher level Greater Colibri and Colibri from Bhaflau Thickets and Mamool are far safer for a Bard puller. Since they parrot spells and songs, a Bard puller can get a sizable running start before these birds begin their pursuit. The Greater Colibri is unique in that it links (by sight) with other Greater Colibris, so take care to have a clear path when pulling. Be careful of the terrain when pulling from lower section of the Nyzul Isle exit Bhaflau Thickets camp, as it can deflect the Greater Colibri's flight path unexpectedly and cause bad links, which is made worse by their fast movement speed. Using /NIN as support job for these, since Utusemi can absorb the trigger song the Colibri parrots 100% of the time. Do not ever use Horde Lullaby, as it can sleep the entire party and possibly cause a wipe. Use Utsusemi to blink tank if Lullaby fails while waiting for recast, and use skill/Charisma gear, Light Staff, etc. to make sure Lullaby doesn't fail often. Crawler Crawlers detect by sound, and most would link. The Defoliator, Eruca, as well as some of the yellow-black varietiess are aggressive. Interesting to note that they track by scent, so if a Bard runs over a puddle of water (e.g. Defoliator in Aydeewa Subterrane), he can lose the Crawler before reaching camp, which is usually an undesirable outcome. In some parties, exp/hour may be better if a Bard stays to Finale Cocoon (Defense+50% buff) instead of running off to pull mid battle. The decision on whether the Bard should be used to stage pull hinges on whether the party has another person on full-time Dispel/Finale or not, and whether it has substantial non-melee damage (i.e. Black Mage) or not. Keep in mind a Scholar cannot both main heal and stay on Dispel, and Bard is possibly the worse of all job for Dispel due to the long recast timer for Finale. The Eruca varieties have Incinerate, a Cone AoE fire breath attack that's very strong when a Eruca is at high HP. Take care not to stand where it faces or may turn to, as this can potentially one-shot a Bard. Try to keep Barfire effect on, and may want to hold off on activating Minstrel's Ring unless the party is really competent about keep the battle target facing a predictable direction. By the way, the Eruca sleeps during nighttime, so no worries about linking during that time. The Date Eruca is one of the few non-linking crawlers a Bard puller may encounter, but keep in mind it is still aggressive during daytime. Diremite Not all Diremites are aggressive, but the species mostly likely to be encountered by a Bard puller, Aydeewa Diremite, definitely is. While an Aydeewa Diremite detects by hearing, unlike the Defoliator in the same area, it does not track by scent and thus won't stop pursuing over water puddles. Diremite does not link. Due to AoE damage from Spinning Top, be careful when applying songs to the front line. Also, make sure the party has at least one source of Erase or Healing Waltz to deal with Filamented Hold. Doomed Undead, detects by sound, detects by low HP, non-linking, and the Jnun variety in Caedarva Mire sleeps during daytime. When pulling with Minstrel's Ring, be careful, since it can detect low HP from a far distance and aggro. Fly Oddly enough, the large eyed dragonfly detects (and links) by sound. Other than links, this category presents no special problem for a Bard puller. Goblin Goblins are aggressive and link by sight. Spell casters like DRK (e.g. Goblin Reaper) are easier to pull than fast hitting non-casters like THF (e.g. Goblin Robber), but take care to make sure spell casters do not link others after the delay from casting spells. Imp Imp has fast movement speed, but not difficult to pull because it responds to the pull trigger by casting a spell of its own, giving a Bard puller a hefty head start. (Make sure to run, though, because it can very well be lobbing a tier II -ga spell as its first act.) Imp aggros, detects by true sight, and does not link. Lullaby lands easily, as a bonus. Be careful of its Deafening Tantara, which is an AoE Silence TP attack. Carry at least four full stacks of Echo Drops if planning to exp off of Imps. Due to the Imp's low HP and tendency to interrupt buff songs, as well as the pull distance in some camps, it may be advisable to cut down buff songs to one for the front line and one for the back line, in order to speed up pulling for keeping chains. Mandragora Except for the Lycopodium variety, Mandragora has Dream Flower AoE Sleep. Keep the front line separate from the back line so the mages can wake up the melee (and tank, sometimes). (Side note: Dream Flower will not remove Utusemi.) Insist on at least one back line mage who will cast cure, even if there are multiple DNCs in party unless they are tanking. BLMs who are nuke only or RDMs who are melee'ing has no place in a Mandragora party. Expect interruptions while buffing the front line. If poisoned somehow, ask for it to be left on unless need to heal for MP. Puk Another fast movement speed type monster. It's a good idea to use defense food, and have full three images from Utsusemi before pulling one. Aggros by sound and sight; does not link. Remind people not to use Wind based magic or make Detonation Skillchain (even by accident), since a Puk will absorb those and gain HP. Try to allow for extra time, since Wind Shear (AoE knock back) will inevitably interrupt some songs when buffing the front line. Pugil Pugil can be aggressive or passive, linking or non-linking, so make sure to research the particular variety's behavior before starting to pull. The aggressive varieties detect by sound, and linking varieties link by sound. This is another staple target which benefit from attentive Dispel/Finale, so a Bard may not want to pull if there's no one else to remove Water Wall and Water Shield. Raptor Raptor is aggressive, detects by sound, and does not link except as pet Raptor, which links its master. It has fast movement speed, making pulling dangerous, which is one reason why it is no longer popular as a primary target for exp parties. (It also seems to prefer out of the way places like Uleguerand Range, Cape Teriggan, etc.) These days, a typical Bard puller likely only encounter one as a pet of Beastmaster type Mamool Ja. When pulling a Raptor or a Mamool Ja with a Raptor, try to pull from as far away as possible; both Raptor and pet Raptor hit hard. A popular workaround is to Lullaby the pet Raptor before pulling the Mamool Ja Beastmaster. Spider Spider is non-aggressive, but links (by hearing). It is generally disliked as an exp target, as its Sickle Slash can potentially one-shot a tank, plus it often links badly. Still, the Spider is relatively squishy and easy to kill. Its Spider Web attack is annoying for a Bard, but causes real trouble for tanks, especially for an Utsusemi tank. The cone AoE Acid Spray attack imposes a hefty 16HP/tick slip damage, so stay out of the way of that whenever possible. A healer with Erase is indispensable for a party wishing to exp off Spider--but, do not pester the healer for it, since the tank needs that Erase far more than a Bard. Dancer for faster curing, White Mages for Flash, and Dark Knight/Black Mage for Stun should be considered when building party as mitigation against Sickle Slash's danger.